German beats Nigerian to coma, arrested

By Emmanuel Aziken
An expatriate German staff of Julius Berger Plc was yesterday evening being held in Police custody in Abuja after allegedly pummeling a Nigerian staff of the construction company to coma.

The German technician simply identified by the Police as Mr. Rainhargt Fleischer, according to sources, is a supervisor overseeing maintenance of part of the Senate new building.

He had reportedly entered into an altercation with a Nigerian staff identified as John Adeniyi over the latterâ€™s alleged idleness yesterday morning.

The incident which took place at 9.30 a.m. ahead of yesterday eveningâ€™s football encounter between Nigeria and Germany in the ongoing FIFA Under 20 World Cup tournament taking place in Egypt. The brawl was, however, not directly linked to the football match which German won 3-2.

According to a witness accounts, Fleischer had accosted Adeniyi, an air-conditioner technician, where he sat along the corridor of the Senate new building, asking why he was idle.

The German,Â though, not on the air-conditioning maintenance unit, was said to have demanded explanations from Adeniyi who, his Nigerian colleagues claimed to have finished his round of maintenance duties at that time.

Following what he was said to have seen as Adeniyiâ€™s unsatisfactory explanation, the German was said to have demanded Adeniyiâ€™s identity card, a demandÂ the Nigerian turned down. Fleischer, according to sources, brought out his mobile phone attempting to use it to take a snapshot of the Nigerian, an attempt that was frustrated by the latter.

Adeniyi, according to witnesses, was said to have blocked the view of the Germanâ€™s camera phone, an action that was said to have irritated himÂ who thus gave Adeniyi a kick in his private part.

John, according to sources collapsed and went into convulsion and subsequently into a coma, an action that prompted his Nigerian colleagues to rush to his aid. He was rushed to the nearby Julius Berger clinic in the National Assembly from where he was rushed to the Julius Berger clinic in Life Camp, Abuja.

The technician was apprehended by security operatives in the National Assembly and was as at press time yesterday evening being held at the National Assembly police station.

The Divisional Police Officer at the National Assembly, Mr. Mohammed Shehu confirmed the arrest.